It was a day of celebration in New Haven, Ky., when Mary Ruth was born October 5, 1921, to John and Margaret Mattingly Essex. When Mary Ruth was very young, her mother died. Aunts Agnita and Elizabeth Mattingly admitted her into their home. Mary Ruth began her formal education at St. Catherine School in New Haven. During her high school years, the desire to become an Ursuline deepened. Upon graduation, she applied to Mother Teresita Thompson for entrance to the novitiate. On September 8, 1940, Mary Ruth became a postulant. She received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Ruth Ann on August 15, 1941.
Sister Ruth Ann’s first teaching assignment was St. Bartholomew, Buechel, Ky., where she taught third and fourth grades for four years. She continued teaching for 42 years in elementary and high schools in various areas of Kentucky: Louisville (St. James and St. Columba); Lebanon (St. Charles), Earlington, grades 6-9 and high school; Hawesville, high school principal and superior; St. Catherine High School, New Haven; and New Haven Public Junior High.
In 1985, Sister Ruth Ann accepted the position of Coordinator of the Senior Citizens Program at Whitesville, Ky. She initiated and directed programs and services for the elderly of the area until her sudden death on January 11, 1991. Following a period of visitation at the parish church in Whitesville, her remains were transferred to Mount Saint Joseph for the vigil service.
On January 14, former pupils Father John Caldwell and Father Scott Wimsatt, and the pastor and assistant pastor of Saint Mary of the Woods, Fathers Louis Piskula and William Hagman concelebrated the funeral Mass. Among those present for the services were numerous family members, Benedictine Sisters, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and former pupils. Sister’s remains are buried in the convent cemetery.